Frangible block mounting



S. F. COX

Filed Aug, l0,v 1958 FRANGIBLE BLOCK MOUNTING INVENTOR 'nMuE-L. f. Cox

'Patented Dee s, 1939" l UNITI-:o STATES PATENT ,oi-#Fica Y rnsNGInLa nLocx MouNTnvG Samuel F. Cox, Pittsburgh, Ps., assigner to Pittsburghl Plate Glass Company, Allegheny County, Ps., a corporation ot Pennsylvania Application august 10, 193s. serial No. 224,133 4 claims (ci. 'zz- 4m The present invention relates' to methods ol setting blocks oi building materials in walls and it has particular relation to such .methods where the blocks or-units are hollow and composed oi trangible material.

Cine object of the invention is to provide a setting for such blocks by application oi which the l blocks are relatively firmly and securely cemented ytogether against mechanical displacement. butlin which excessive stress due to expansion or coli-Av the unitscomprising the walls are laid inv courses f in abutting relations', and the joints between the diiierent units' are lilled or sealed yby means of a suitable cement such'as Portland cement mixed with sand, or with a mortar prepared by mixing sand and lime withv water. With soli bricks or stone this type of construction" is reaso bly satisfactory. However, itis notwell adap ed for use in connection with walls composed of hollow n bricks or blocks of frangible materialsuch as glass or the like. This because the mortar tends to bond relatively tenaciously to the glass surface. Furthermore, th'e mortar when ,exposedv to moisture tends to expand, and when/ it again dries out it tends to contract. As a lresult oi this expansion and contraction the glass blocks arev sub- Jected to compressive or tensionali Iorces which 'are often aggravatedby the fact that ordi-nary cements have coefficients oi thermal expansion considerably greater than that of glass so thatl the blocks are put under strains due to dinerences in expansion between the blocks and the mortar in which they are set. Likewise, there is a dinerentlal in the rate of heating oi the glass and the 45 cement so that a further difference in the degree o1 expansion is introduced. As a result of thesev various differentials of expansiomthe force exerted upon the hollow blocks often becomes s0 great as to cause breakage of the latter. This breakage oi hollow building units has heretofore constituted a serious problem in the employment oi this type of material- In accordance with the provisions oi the' presgoing dimculties by replacing portions oi the con- 'gether along their inner edges ventional cement employed to lbond the hollow blocks together at suitable intervals with a more or less plastic or elasticmateriel of the nature Voif a cauiking compound The 'cement or mortar maintains the blocks in correctly spaced relation while the plastic material prevents excessive accumulation o! forces by reason oi along unbroken refer tolike parts throughout.

.'Eigure l 'is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion oi a wall constructed in accordance with the provisions oi the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a portion of a wail, further illustrating the principles 'oi the invention. Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a third application of the invention. In the form ofl the invention illustrated in lFigure l a framework' or chase i0. comprises upright members Ii and horizontal members I2l oi suitable structural'iron. In the form illustrated these irons are of channelor I-beam con# struction, and include iianges I3 connected by I transverse webs il. Hollow glass blocks it are disposed within and supported by this framework, and maybe arranged as shown in Figures 2 and 3. iny horizontal courses Il, and vertical columns or rows I8. The outermost units of each panel or hollow blocks have their edg'es as shown in Figure 1 secured between the flanges of the frame- -body oi cement. For a better understanding oi the invention, reference may n'ow be had'to thev accompanying drawing vin which like numerals work i0. Preferably the outer edges of .these units are cushioned from the intermediate web Il by means or a layer i9. of cork. felt or other resilient materials. yThe edge portions may be insulated from the Iilanges i3 foi' the structural iron members by means of av suitable caulking material 2|. l

yThe glass blocks i6 "are of a conventional or common design, and comprise tray-like sections 22, having ilange's, or shoulders 23. about their outer peripheries. The sections are fused toto provide a medianly disposed rib 24.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 1 continuous layers 26 of cer-nent of the type of Portland cement or any'other suitable cement designed to set up into a strong rigid' state sr'e disposed between the edges Il of the blocks. This cement may also extend a portion of the distance between the main body portions l28 of the blocks, in order to provide suiiicient solid bearing surface between contiguous blocks, and also to provide keys preventing the possi- 

